Live Review: ZZ Top + Steel Panther
October 29, 2009 by Dave Musson
Beards, beer and boogie…it’s got to be ZZ Top.
ZZ Top + Steel Panther @ Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, 27-10-09.
Sometimes a gig gets announced that is just too good to believe. The idea of global megastars ZZ Top playing one of only two UK dates in Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall is one such gig. Couple this with the fact that ZZ Top put on a stellar performance at this year’s Download and that this is the band’s first visit to these shores for a headline tour in almost a decade, and it’s highly unsurprising that tonight’s show is a complete sell-out.
First things first though, there’s a support band to negotiate and tonight’s is quite unlike any other band you’re likely to see opening up a big rock show; the lycra-clad, foul mouthed, hair metal parody band Steel Panther made their name playing across LA but now the four-piece have been unleashed on the world. Their lyrics, their mid-song chatter and essentially their entire purpose is about having sex, but they deliver it with enough humour for it to sit well with the crowd. Whether it was singer Michael Starr claiming that he was “not a chubby David Lee Roth more a slim Vince Neil”, bassist Lexxi Foxxx fixing his lipstick on stage or guitarist Satchel trying to hump the back of a security guard’s head, it all raised at least a chuckle. There’s also the fact that they are all incredible musicians – a point highlighted by Satchel’s stupendous, shred-tastic guitar solo – and a final song as good as ‘Death to All But Metal’ ensured a great response.
If the start of the evening’s events was fun, then ZZ Top just carried on where the Panther had left off – only with huskier voices and less swearing and launching into ‘Got Me Under Pressure’. Mainman Billy Gibbons is an encapsulating performer – despite being hidden behind sunglasses, facial hair and hats – and he soon had the crowd wrapped around his finger with his stories of exploring Wolverhampton’s pound shops, asking the crowd if we were actually just in Birmingham, and having his “blues hat” brought out by some scantily clad female “technicians”. Oh yes, and also the fact he’s one of the most stylish guitarists out there, underlined by his super-cool one-handed guitar solo in ‘I Need You Tonight’. Bassist Dusty Hill was not to be outdone, using his own great voice to cover his share of vocals and pounding out quite possibly the loudest basslines you’ll ever hear, while Frank Beard (who incidentally has no beard) rounds things off with his simple but powerful drumlines.
What is most impressive about ZZ Top is the rawness of the music they play. Seeing a threepiece so tight and so in synch with each other that they even match each other step for step as they move around the stage is great to watch, but they are also a fine example of how simple can sometimes be the best way. These three Texan blues and boogie masters don’t need any special effects to make their songs work, just talent and a fine sense of rhythm. They kept the crowd engaged throughout their set before rattling off their three biggest hits – ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’ – as the ultimate closing gambit. That wasn’t it though; they returned for two encores to the obvious delight of the packed crowd, before finally departing at the end of ‘Tube Snake Boogie’ with the Black Country feeling somewhat more deep south. Whether it was the synchronised stepping, the fluffy guitars, the drinking and smoking mid song or just the simple cheeky grin of Billy Gibbons throughout the show, tonight was a lesson in how to perform, and was the kind of gig you’ll remember forever.
Full ZZ Top setlist: Got Me Under Pressure/Waitin’ for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago/Pincushion/I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide/Future Blues/Cheap Sunglasses/Mexican Blackbird/My Head’s in Mississippi/I Need You Tonight/Catfish Blues/Party on the Patio/Foxy Lady/Just Got Paid/Gimme All Your Lovin’/Sharp Dressed Man/Legs/La Grange/Sloppy Drunk/Bar-B-Q/Tush/Tube Snake Boogie.
Photography: Dave Musson Photography
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